ABORIGINAL MUSIC INSTRUMENTS

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on the following Wednesday 10th July is the first performance I clearly remember - firstly because it was, according to my diary, "FANTASTIC!!!! Indescribably beautiful." and secondly because Doreen Tanner, the drama critic for the Liverpool Echo, who had seen and enjoyed our production of The Surprise of Love #2 at the Everyman Theatre, came to the first night (we did it twice at Liverpool) and wrote a good review (see above).

I'm glad she mentioned "effective lighting" since the dress rehearsal had been marred by having insufficient lamps, so Lynn and I spent all day of the first night getting hold of more lamps and positioning them strategically, and working out a lighting scheme - we made a great team!

I appreciated Tanner's comments about the verse translation - in the first place because I had striven to make the verse easy on the ear, and in the second place because Mike Hale and I had spent a lot of rehearsal time in training the actors to avoid the 'doggerel effect' that can occur when actors aren't used to working with a script in rhyming verse.

Tanner's comment about the Cathedral's immensity was meant as a compliment! Since our performances were part of a week-long celebration of the completion of the first 'bay' at the west end, it was fitting that we drew the building itself into the action. But what Tanner doesn't mention is that we weren't all simply watching Mary walk down the aisle for five minutes. During her walk, Theophile was speaking one of his most beautifully lyrical soliloquies - his prayer to Mary - and between each of the four verses a clarinet and violin duo played. It was all timed so that Mary arrived at Theophile's side just as he finished his prayer.

Dean Patey wondered about a revival in the autumn.

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